Interconnected picture frames

ABSTRACT

An interconnecting strip is provided for use with small picture frames of a uniform predetermined length where two opposite parallel sides of a rectangular frame are provided with a dovetail tongue-and-groove formation, one of the formations being female and the other being male, each adapted to interfit the opposite-type formation on a like frame. The interconnecting member for joining two such sides of two frames in a pleasing arrangement is a unitary strip of the same predetermined length as the same dimension of the uniform frames and this strip has a plurality of dovetail tongue-and-groove formations on angularly related sides, these formations being complementary respectively to the female and male frame side formations.

D United States Patent 51 3,648,393 Parrilla 5] Mar. 14, T972 [54] INTERCONNECTED PICTURE FRAMES FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS [72] Inventor: Salvatore C Parrilla, 14612 woodwonh 62,281 l/l926 Sweden ..287/20.92 C

Avenue, East Cleveland, Ohio 44l l2 Primary ExaminerRobert W. Michell [22] led: 1970 Assistant Examiner-Wenceslao J. Contreras 2 1 AppL 27 5 Attorney-Baldwin, Egan, Walling & F etzer [57] ABSTRACT [52] US. Cl ..40/152, 287/2092 5 1 Int CL T An interconnecting strip IS provided for use with small picture (58 1 Field of Search ..40/152, 125, 156, 155, 10, frames of a uniform predetermined length where two pp 40 140; 52/282 586 287/2092 K 2092 C parallel sides of a rectangular frame are provided with a dovetail tongue-andgroove formation, one of the formations 5 References Cited being female and the other being male, each adapted to interfit the opposite-type formation on a like frame. The intercon- UNITED STATES PATENTS necting member for joining two such sides of two frames in a pleasing arrangement is a unitary strip of the same predeterg a ig 4 mined length as the same dimension ofthe uniform frames and 347l959 10/1969 S ory this strip has a plurality of dovetail tongue-and-groove forma- 51 $1946 z I2 tions on angularly related sides, these formations being complementary respectively to the female and male frame side formations.

4 Claims, 9 Drawing Figures PATENTEDMAR 14 I972 SHEET 1 OF 2 FIG.

INVENTOR SALVATORE C. PARRILLA BY ATTORNEY PATENTEDHAR 14 1912 3, 648 393 sum 2 0F 2 ATTO NEYS INTERCONNECTED PICTURE FRAMES This invention relates to a unitary strip of predetermined length adapted to interconnect two picture frames which have respectively male and female tongue-and-groove dovetail formations extending on opposite sides thereof. Such a strip may be extruded very cheaply from plastic material so that the tongue-and-groove formations on angularly related sides of the strip slide into the male and female tongue-andgroove formations on the picture frames.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be set forth in the specification and shown in the drawings and the essential features thereof will be set forth in the appended claims.

In the drawings,

FIG. I is an exploded view of a picture frame with the interconnecting member of this invention in a position opposite the side of the frame with which it is adapted to coact;

FIG. 2 is a fragmental perspective view, enlarged, of the upper end of the interconnecting strip of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a top plan view, enlarged, of a frame and interconnecting strip like that shown in FIG. 1 showing a portion of a second frame connected to the first frame by use of the interconnecting strip of this invention;

FIGS. 4 and 5 are respectively a fragmental perspective view of a second embodiment of an interconnecting strip according to this invention and a top plan view on a smaller scale showing the interconnecting strip of FIG. 4 utilized to connect together three picture frames;

FIG. 6 is a fragmental perspective view showing a third embodiment of the interconnecting strip connecting together two picture frames extending at an angle greater than 90 between the two frames;

FIG. 7 is a front elevational view of a hanger member adapted to hang one of the picture frames from a peg support;

FIG. 8 is a side elevational view of the hanger member of FIG. 7 attached to the upper edge of a picture frame; while FIG. 9 is a fragmental perspective view showing the hanger member of FIGS. 7 and 8 utilized to suspend a picture frame from a pegboard.

Referring to FIGS. 1, 2 and 3, a rectangular picture frame 10 is shown which in one form of the invention is a frame about 4 inches along one dimension while it is 5% to 6 inches along the other dimension. At the righthand end of FIG. 1, the frame 10 is provided along one vertical side with a female dovetail tongue-and-groove formation 10a extending the full length of the vertical side of the frame l0. This dovetail formation is shown more clearly in the enlarged view of FIG. 3. The opposite parallel vertical side of frame 10 is provided with a male dovetail tongue-and-groove formation 10b which is clearly seen at the left-hand of FIG. 3. An interconnecting strip 11 is shown in FIGS. 1, 2 and 3 which may be utilized to join together two of the picture frames 10. The strip 11 is provided with two dovetail tongue-and-groove formations 1 la angularly related on the strip 180 apart. This strip I1 and its formations lla are of the same length as the vertical side of frame 10 with which it is adapted to coact.

Referring to FIG. 3, if a frame like that shown in FIG. 1 is turned over it will present two of the female tongue-andgroove formations 10a adjacent to each other. The strip 11 is then entered endwise between the two frames causing the male formations 11a to snugly enter the female formations 10a of the two frames so as to quickly and efficiently connect them together.

In FIG. 5, two of the frames 10 like FIG. 1 are shown placed edge to edge so that the vertical female tongue-and-groove formation 10a is shown in the left-hand frame and the male vertical tongue-and-groove formation 10b is shown on the right-hand frame. If only these two frames were to be connected together, then a connector strip 12 shown as cutoff by the dot-dash line of FIG. 5 could connect these two frames together 180 apart analogous to FIG. 2 but utilizing a male tongue-and-groove formation 12a adapted to enter the female formation 10a at the left-hand side of FIG. 5, while a female tongue-and;groove formation 12b is provided 180 apart adapted to interfit the male tongue-and-groove formation 10b shown at the right-hand side of FIG. 5.

Taking the connector strip 12' as shown in full lines in FIGS. 4 and 5, a third dovetail tongue-and-groove formation is provided adapted to interfit one of the frame side formations 10a or 10b. In this particular embodiment, the tongue-and-groove formation 120 is a male formation adapted to fit into a female formation 10a on the frame 10 located at a 90 position between the two strip formations 12a and 1212.

A third embodiment of the invention is shown in FIG. 6 where two of the frames 10 are interconnected to extend at an angle between them greater than 90. Here the connecting strip 13 has a vertical female tongue-and-groove formation 13a on one side and a male tongue-and-groove formation 13b on another side angularly related at an angle greater than 90 as shown. The strip 13 is entered endwise between the two frames 10 receiving a male t0ngue-and-groove formation 10b in the female formation 13a of the connecting strip at one side, while the male tongue-and-groove formation 13b enters into the female tongue-and-groove frame formation 10a at the other side.

FIGS. 7, 8 and 9 show a novel hanger member for mounting one of the frames 10 on a wall, or pegboard or the like. A hanger member 14 of triangular formation is formed out of plastic or the like. This hanger member has a pin formation 14a extending horizontally from one side thereof near a vertical apex which is adapted to fit into one of the standard openings 15a of a pegboard 15. Alternatively, the hanger 14 may be provided with a recess 14b which may be received into a nail driven in a wall or the like close to the formation 14b shown in FIGS. 7 and 8. The hanger 14 has a male dovetail tongue-and-groove formation 14c across the bottom thereof as seen in FIGS. 7 and 8 and this formation is received into a female tongue-and-groove formation ltllc of the picture frame 10 as seen in FIG. 8. This device is shown on a smaller scale in FIG. 9 as useful in supporting the picture frame 10 on the pegboard I5.

What is claimed is:

1. In combination with two rectangular picture frames having the same predetermined side length and wherein each frame has a dovetail tongue-and-groove formation extending the full length of each of two opposite parallel sides thereof, one of said formations being female and the other of said formations being male and adapted to snugly interfit said female formation; an interconnecting member for joining said two sides of said frames comprising a unitary strip of said same predetermined length, and said strip having dovetail tongueand-groove formations on angularly related sides thereof, each of said formations on said strip being complementary to one of said female or male frame side formations.

2. A frame interconnecting member :as defined in claim I, wherein said formations on said strip are apart as viewed endwise of said strip.

3. A frame interconnecting member as defined in claim 2, and including a third dovetail tongue-and-groove formation adapted to interfit one of said frame side formations, said third formation being at a 90 position between said two first-named strip formations as viewed endwise of said strip.

4. A frame interconnecting member as defined in claim 1, wherein said formations on said strip are more than 90 apart as viewed endwise of said strip. 

1. In combination with two rectangular picture frames having the same predetermined side length and wherein each frame has a dovetail tongue-and-groove formation extending the full length of each of two opposite parallel sides thereof, one of said formations being female and the other of said formations being male and adapted to snugly interfit said female formation; an interconnecting member for joining said two sides of said frames comprising a unitary strip of said same predetermined length, and said strip having dove-tail tongue-and-groove formations on angularly related sides thereof, each of said formations on said strip being complementary to one of said female or male frame side formations.
 2. A frame interconnecting member as defined in claim 1, wherein said formations on said strip are 180* apart as viewed endwise of said strip.
 3. A frame interconnecting member as defined in claim 2, and including a third dove-tail tongue-and-groove formation adapted to interfit one of said frame side formations, said third formation being at a 90* position between said two first-named strip formations as viewed endwise of said strip.
 4. A frame interconnecting member as defined in claim 1, wherein said formations on said strip are more than 90* apart as viewed endwise of said strip. 